?Snowpeaks and Sages, Battlefields and Sirens, Magic Mushrooms and Fireflies, Music that casts a Spell, Songs that seek the Soul.?

This quote encapsulates King Edward VII Memorial Hospital surgical officer Dr. Mathew Joseph?s new music CD ?Fireflies?.

He has been in Bermuda for three years and despite his hectic work schedule found time for his other passion, music. Over the last eight months Dr. Joseph completed his CD with friends in New York. Some tracks on the CD were six years in the making.

?Fireflies? is an acoustic album which uses instruments like the Spanish string guitar, cello, violin and also includes percussion instruments such as, the tabala, mrdunk, hand symbols and drums.

These are only a few of the wide variety of instruments on the CD. Dr. Joseph said the CD is a reminder to us that we live in an age of destruction.

He said: ?It urges peace and harmony and brings a message of hope, evoking the ethereal magic of the high Himalayas, the wisdom of the sages and jubilation of the golden age to come.?

Dr. Joseph was born in Kerala, a southwestern state of India.

His father, Dr. T.M. Joseph, encouraged his love for music and taught him to play the guitar and to sing.

At the early age of 16 Dr. Joseph began writing his own songs and at 29 he co-organised the Kodi Music Festival.

The festival was a two-day out door event and bands from all over South India attended.

While at the festival he met Oliver Rajamani and David Estes and played with them in India over the next few years.

Mr. Rajamani is a well known musician in world music circles and has released two CDs.

Mr. Estes is also an accomplished musician and is particularly interested in reggae.

Both musicians performed on Dr. Joseph?s disk. During the late 1980s and early 1990s Dr. Joseph spent time travelling in the Himalayas.

He travelled the Garhwal, Himachal and Kumaon mountains and spent time in the Dalai Lama?s foster home, Dharamsala.

While there he studied Tibetan medicine. He also travelled along the Gangotri and Bhadrinath pilgrimage routes in the Garhwal mountains, which he found particularly inspirational.

While in the mountains he wrote ?Sunrise? and ?Rhododendron Queen?, two songs that are on his CD. Other songs, like ?Sruthi Laya Thalam? are about love.

This song in particular is about love at first sight and feeling like you?ve met the person before. The second song, ?Amanita?, is about Magic Mushrooms, which Shamans and ancient seers used to open their minds and get a glimpse of what is beyond their world.

Dr. Joseph said, ?the experience is transient? because once it is over you go back to where you started.

The lyrics of this song illustrate that contrary to popular belief, the drug is not actually mind opening.

The CD is available in Bermuda at Music Box, Metaphysical Book Store, Pink Ladies Gift Store and online at www.cdbaby.com. He has had quite a lot of positive feedback.

The CD has only been out for under a month and he has already had an Italian promoter asking him to go on tour, though Dr. Joseph isn?t sure if he has time for that.

Locally people also seem interested. The Immigration Department gave him permission to market the CD and Mix 106 has it on its play list.

Many of his colleagues and friends have also been positive about the CD.

He said: ?Bermuda is so culturally diverse that there is something for everyone. Some songs concentrate more on reggae or blues while others bring in a lot of Indian folk.?

Dr. Joseph said a concert in Bermuda is not out of the question but it depends on getting the entire ensemble together as some are living in Austin, Texas while others live in New York.

Dr. Joseph?s biggest fans are his two sons Mamman and Mathew. Their favourite song is ?Lay Down?, which is about the violence happening in China, Africa and other parts of the world. It asks for people to lay down their weapons. The message is important but Dr. Joseph also thinks that boys like the song?s beat.

Much of the CD is about the havoc happening around the world. The title of the last track, ?Kaliyug?is actually the name of the Hindu goddess of destruction.

Dr. Joseph said: ?The CD is also about hope because at the end of this age of destruction we have been promised the golden age.?